📿 Shloka Collection

Tad Ity Anabhisandhaya

Gita 17.25 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17 — Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga
तदित्यनभिसन्धाय फलं यज्ञतपःक्रियाः ।
दानक्रियाश्च विविधाः क्रियन्ते मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभिः ॥
Tad ity anabhisandhaya phalam yajna-tapah-kriyah,
Dana-kriyash cha vividhah kriyante moksha-kankshabhih.
तत्
Tat (That — Brahman)
इति
thus saying
अनभिसन्धाय
without aiming at
फलम्
reward
यज्ञतपःक्रियाः
acts of sacrifice and austerity
दानक्रियाः
acts of charity
विविधाः
of various kinds
क्रियन्ते
are performed
मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभिः
by those who seek liberation

"Tat" — That. By uttering this word, seekers of moksha perform all kinds of sacrifice, austerity, and charity without any desire for personal reward. The word "Tat" redirects the entire act toward Brahman.

When a person says "Tat" before an offering, they are declaring: this is not for me. This is for That — the supreme reality beyond name and form. The act stops being personal. It becomes an offering to the infinite.

Seekers of liberation use "Tat" to dissolve the ego's claim over their good deeds. Once an act is surrendered to Brahman, it no longer creates karmic bondage. The doer remains free.

This shloka explains the significance of "Tat" within the "Om Tat Sat" formula. "Tat" is also the key word in the Upanishadic mahavakya "Tat tvam asi" (You are That) from the Chhandogya Upanishad. It is the most concise pointer to Brahman in the entire tradition. The next two shlokas (17.26-27) will explain "Sat."

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